The eight-player battles are designed to minimise micro-management, and because there’s no fog of war you don’t need to scout or build sentries. Instead, the idea is to focus on tactics and the control of armies rather than individual units.

You’ll be able to capture and share instant replays, and analyse performance after matches. Although its a multiplayer focused title, it’s backed up by a sci-fi story.

The lightweight client is built on a custom engine, and is said to load up in seconds, which is a nice touch.

The product of two-man indie Zero Blood Games, Conquer Mars is after $100,000. Buying in nets you alpha and beta access, with alpha due on August 1. The team has a long list of features to implement should they reach their goal, but a flexible funding scheme means every bit helps. The developer is also offering social goal incentives and stretch goals.

If successful, Conquer Mars will be available on Mac and PC, with a Linux release possible.